CARSON, Calif. (Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013) – Chivas USA defeated the New York Red Bulls, 3-2, Sunday afternoon led by Erick “El Cubo” Torres’ first two-goal performance in Major League Soccer and Julio Morales’ first-career goal. The Red Bulls were aided by scores from Tim Cahill and Dax McCarty. With the win the Red-and-White have now recorded points in four of their last five home matches.

The visitors came out early in the match and tested Chivas USA goalkeeper and captain Dan Kennedy, as the net minder came up big for the Rojiblancos by turning away a pair of Fabian Espindola chances inside the short area. Midway through the first half, the Goats began to shift the momentum and started getting into the box and into range.

The Rojiblancos got on the board first in the 30th minute when Carlos Alvarez found Morales unmarked to the right of the arc. The 19-year-old Chivas Guadalajara product received the ball, took a step and fired a left-footed strike past Red Bulls keeper Luis Robles inside the right post to take a 1-0 lead.

New York responded a minute later with the equalizer on Thierry Henry’s corner kick sent in from the right side that found Cahill for the header. The attempt caromed off the left post and bounced over the goal line before the Red-and-White defense could clear the ball away.

Chivas reclaimed the lead just as first-half regulation came to an end when Torres was taken down inside the box by Ibrahim Sekagya with a body check. Shortly after, Torres lined up to take the penalty kick and drilled it past Robles to the lower left corner of the net to take a 2-1 lead into the half.

Playing a goal up in the second half, the Rojiblancos continued to get into dangerous spaces in the attacking third. In the 48th minute, Morales had enough space to get off a bicycle kick inside the box, but Robles was able to bat the shot over the crossbar for a Chivas corner kick. In the 69th minute, Torres got deep into the area as his side tap-in attempt bounced off the left post.

The Red-and-White, however, would not be denied in the 81st minute when Torres tallied his second score of the match. Bryan de la Fuente, making his second consecutive start since his signing, crossed a ball from the left side of the box to Alvarez, whose shot deflected off a New York defender and left the ball momentarily loose near the penalty spot. Torres got to the ball and fired inside the right post to deliver a bridge and put the Goats up 3-1.

New York would pull one back five minutes later on a set piece, this time from the left side to McCarty, who headed the entry in to pull the visitors within one. The Red Bulls continued to press forward in search of their second equalizer but the Red-and-White defense turned away the last-minute threats to deliver Head Coach Jose Luis Real his second home win with the 3-2 result.

Chivas USA hit the road for their next match as they travel to Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place Sunday, Sept. 1, in a 4 p.m. (PT) kickoff. The match will be the third and final meeting of the season series between the Western Conference rivals and will be broadcasted in Spanish on W Radio 690 AM. For more information visit cdchivasusa.com and follow us on Twitter @cdchivasusa and Facebook.com/chivasusa.